Earlier this week, a report out of Australia said that Apple along with Microsoft and Adobe had been asked by Australia’s House of Representatives to appear to explain why their products were so much more expensive in Australia than they are in America.

Apple’s prices don’t look too bad compared to their American counterprices in the Land Down Under, but that’s not true of Adobe. In fact, to purchase a complete set of Adobe’s Creative Suite Applications, you’ll pay $1,400 more than in the United States… making it cheaper for Australian creative professionals to actually fly to America to buy Adobe’s software in bulk.

Check out this video in which Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen is asked multiple times why this pricing differentiation exists on a digital good, in which he shiftily avoids answering the question at every turn. It’s unbelievably sleazy. No wonder Steve Jobs thought the Adobe guys were little shits.

What a schmuck! Just answer the question. Why is Adobe Creative Suite up to $1400 more in Australia compared to US Prices?If he was just honest and said something along the lines of, “We got pricing wrong” or, “We took our eye off the ball and didn’t factor in cross currency rates correctly and as a consequence of that, we overcharged our Australian clients”… something that actually relates to the question.My confidence in Adobe is evaporating rapidly.

stjoey164

What a schmuck! Just answer the question. Why is Adobe Creative Suite up to $1400 more in Australia compared to US Prices?If he was just honest and said something along the lines of, “We got pricing wrong” or, “We took our eye off the ball and didn’t factor in cross currency rates correctly and as a consequence of that, we overcharged our Australian clients”… something that actually relates to the question.My confidence in Adobe is evaporating rapidly.

DonPope

What an @$$#013

B066Y

What a schmuck! Just answer the question. Why is Adobe Creative Suite up to $1400 more in Australia compared to US Prices?If he was just honest and said something along the lines of, “We got pricing wrong” or, “We took our eye off the ball and didn’t factor in cross currency rates correctly and as a consequence of that, we overcharged our Australian clients”… something that actually relates to the question.My confidence in Adobe is evaporating rapidly.

Or even just being honest and saying “because we can” would have been better.

bdkennedy

I have to wonder what the conditions are in the Australian retail market that allow these companies to charge more. Is it because they have to?

segwayne

What a slimeball…

Cortney Sauk

At least now I understand why their software is the most pirated software on the net… Fucking little shits is right!

Although, I still think Steve Jobs is worse as a human being… He just did all his shit much quieter, and there’s always the reality distortion field.

spacerays

This guy is such an ASSHLE!!!

Designkai

I have to wonder what the conditions are in the Australian retail market that allow these companies to charge more. Is it because they have to?

It’s because they can.

Our currency is strong (we basically dodged the financial crisis) and our average wages are comparably high. Everything is more expensive here because it can be, and we’re so used to it that we rarely question it.

Andrew Newsome

Apple used to be bad as well.

Now, though, most prices are about equal when factoring in US taxes and exchange rates.

It is definitely getting better in recent years. A lot of products are similar prices across the world. I guess all these online stores and such are fueling this change as people can simply look online and find better deals.

graphicben

This guy would be a perfect Politician!!!

About the author

John Brownlee is a Contributing Editor. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.

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